A strong upper level low pressure area lifting across the region along with a surface warm front brought numerous thunderstorms to the region. The thunderstorms brought very heavy rains and flash flooding along with several tornadoes.
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS ABR wrote it up.
A strong upper level low pressure area lifting across the region along with a surface warm front brought numerous thunderstorms to the region. The thunderstorms brought very heavy rains and flash flooding along with several tornadoes.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 23, 2:42 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD 342 PM CDT SAT AUG 23 2014 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY CURRENT OBS ARE SHOWING SLOW PRESSURE FALLS AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING SURFACE LOW. THE LOW IS BECOMING MORE ORGANIZED WITH A COUPLE OF WINDS SHIFTS/FRONTS SETTING UP. THE FIRST EXTENDS FROM SOUTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA INTO NORTHERN MINNESOTA...AND ANOTHER WARM FRONT EXTENDING ACROSS SOUTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA. WITH UPPER LEVEL ENERGY MOVING OVERHEAD THERE HAS BEEN SOME ENHANCED SHOWER DEVELOPMENT ACROSS OUR WESTERN CWA...HOWEVER ONLY SCATTERED IN COVERAGE AT THIS POINT. WITH MOST OF THE STRATIFORM PRECIPITATION NORTH AND WEST OF THE REGION...CANCELLED THE FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL COUNTIES EXCEPT CORSON AND DEWEY...WHERE RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES ANYWHERE BETWEEN 2 TO 5 INCHES HAVE OCCURRED. THERE HAS BEEN SOME THINNING AND BREAKS IN CLOUD COVER ACROSS SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...AND INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN EDGE OF OUR CWA /TEMPERATURE AT KHON IS CURRENTLY 81 DEGREES VS. TEMPERATURE AT KATY ONLY 72 DEGREES/. AS EXPECTED AT THIS POINT THE SPC MESO ANALYSIS PAGE IS SHOWING VERY LITTLE TO NO SURFACE BASED CAPE ACROSS OUR CWA...SO CONFIDENCE IN SURFACE BASED STORMS IS LOW. AT THE VERY LEAST...WITH AN INCREASING LOW LEVEL JET ACROSS THE EASTERN CWA TONIGHT AS WELL AS ELEVATED INSTABILITY AND FAVORABLE SHEAR PROFILES...ELEVATED STORMS WILL LIKELY TRACK ACROSS THE CWA TONIGHT. PWATS REMAIN ANOMALOUSLY HIGH /NEAR 2 INCHES/ SO HEAVY RAIN REMAINS A THREAT WITH STORMS TONIGHT AS WELL. AS DOES LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. THE MOST RECENT RUNS OF CAM MODEL SOLUTIONS HAVE SLOWED DOWN THE PROGRESSION OF STORMS TONIGHT. THEY AGREE FAIRLY WELL...WITH THE STRONGEST DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY AROUND 00Z...REACHING THE FAR EASTERN CWA BY THE 06Z- 09Z TIME PERIOD. THE SURFACE LOW PUSHES NORTHEAST OF THE REGION OVERNIGHT. HOWEVER...WITH ENERGY ROTATING AROUND THE THE MAIN UPPER LOW THERE IS STILL A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS OUR NORTHWEST CWA SUNDAY. THE REGION WILL REMAIN IN SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT TERM. HOWEVER MONDAY LOOKS TO BE MAINLY DRY...WITH THE RETURN OF POPS TO MAINLY THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY. COOL AIR FILTERS SOUTH THROUGH MID WEEK...WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FORECAST. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE LONG TERM FEATURES A COOL PERIOD FOLLOWED BY A WARM UP LATE IN THE PERIOD. THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW SHOWS A GOOD LOW PRESSURE AREA/TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN US EJECTING EAST ACROSS THE CENTRAL US FROM TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL INTERACT WITH A DRIER NORTHERN STREAM FLOW AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. HAVE IN CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND STORMS WITH THIS UPPER LOW PRESSURE TROUGH AS IT MOVES ACROSS THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE LESSER CHANCES WILL BE ACROSS OUR NORTHERN CWA. OTHERWISE...COOL SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE REGION WILL SLOWLY BUILD EAST THROUGH THE WEEK ALLOWING FOR TEMPERATURES TO RISE BACK TO NEAR NORMAL BY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE WEST SHOULD KEEP IT MOSTLY DRY ALONG WITH CLEAR TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES. HIGHS WILL ONLY BE IN THE UPPER 60S TO THE LOWER 70S FOR BOTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS FOR THE KABR...KATY...KPIR AND KMBG TERMINALS A SHORT WAVE TROUGH ALOFT AND SURFACE WARM FRONT KICKING NORTH THROUGH THIS EVENING...WILL BRING SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO ALL OF THE REGION. SOME OF THESE SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE TERMINALS THROUGH THE EVENING AS THEY LIFT QUICKLY NORTH. ALSO...IFR/MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES ARE EXPECTED AT TIMES. OTHERWISE...AS THE LIFT AND MOISTURE MOVES NORTH LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...EXPECT THE RAINFALL TO END AND CLOUDS TO MOVE OUT. IT COULD GET BREEZY FROM THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST ON SUNDAY FOR ALL LOCATIONS. && .ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR CORSON-DEWEY. MN...NONE. && SHORT TERM...SERR LONG TERM...MOHR AVIATION...MOHR WEATHER.GOV/ABERDEEN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD 440 AM CDT SAT AUG 23 2014 MNZ039-046-SDZ003>011-015>023-033>037-045-048-051-240945- TRAVERSE-BIG STONE-CORSON-CAMPBELL-MCPHERSON-BROWN-MARSHALL- ROBERTS-WALWORTH-EDMUNDS-DAY-DEWEY-POTTER-FAULK-SPINK-CLARK- CODINGTON-GRANT-HAMLIN-DEUEL-STANLEY-SULLY-HUGHES-HYDE-HAND-JONES- LYMAN-BUFFALO- 440 AM CDT SAT AUG 23 2014 /340 AM MDT SAT AUG 23 2014/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE IN SOME AREAS...WITH LOCALIZED FLOODING. STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON TOO...MAINLY ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. LARGE HAIL IS POSSIBLE...AS WELL AS A FEW TORNADOES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TMT
The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:28 UTC.
3 tornado, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A tornado touched down about a mile south of Highway 20 and tracked northward to about a mile north of Highway 20. The tornado tracked mainly across open country and caused only minor tree damage near a home.
The tornado touched down about a mile south of Highway 20 and traveled over four miles to the northeast before lifting. The tornado caused minor damage to two farms. A garage door was blown over the roof of the garage along with tree damage. A livestock trailer was also blown over along with more tree damage at the second farm.
The tornado touched down northeast of Ipswich and traveled about a mile to the northeast before lifting. Damage was sustained to a farm with a section of the roof lost along with the siding damaged. A metal outbuilding also lost the majority of its roof with a tractor damaged due to flying debris. There was also tree damage along with a dented grain bin.
Very heavy rains resulted in water over County Road 13 north of Ipswich.
Several thunderstorms developed and tracked over the Aberdeen area bringing very heavy rains of 2 to over 4 inches. This resulted in flash flooding in and east of Aberdeen with many roads flooded. There were many stranded vehicles with some rescues occurring.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Dakota in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Dakota, 2014Warnings in South Dakota, August 2014
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 540678, 540680, 540688, 540587, 540674.